World Events

So much has been going on in the world lately, its hard to take in. It's made me think of all the things that have happened in the world since Dad stopped being aware of it. I remember years ago when I lived with him, I took him to vote in a presidential election. I knew it would be his last time voting, although I'm sure he wasn't thinking that. I want to say it was one of George Bush's elections, and as Dad was a life-long Republican, I'm certain he voted for Bush. I didn't look at his ballot at the time, but the election officials didn't seem to mind that I helped him to the booth and gave him a little advice on voting. Remembering this makes me a little sad now-it was the last time he performed a task I'm sure he took very seriously. The last time he was involved in the world.

Since then we've had 9/11, and the Afghan War, and the Iraq War, and The War on Terrorism...Yikes. And now, Osama Bin Laden has been hunted down and killed. And my father has no idea who Bin Laden is nor why it's so important to us as a country that he was found and killed. I don't even think he was aware at the time of 9/11 what was happening. These are all events he would have been interested in and thinking about; they would have been important to him. I don't know what fills his mind these days, but it's not these incredible current events. And how sad is that? I find it terribly sad.

What's even sadder is how many other families share this sadness. Our lives have continued, we've continued to be delighted and saddened and horrified about the world and what is going on around us. But the lives of our loved ones who have dementia have essentially stopped short. They will never move past the last event they're able to remember. In fact, they've started going backward, and are delving back into memories of big events that happened years and years ago. I guess the one thing I'm thankful for is that Dad was spared the anger and heartache we've all lived through these last years. It is sad, however, that he can't participate in the joy now being shared throughout a country he loved and always participated in.